the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged to us, we went on an outing  to 
 the glass  factory  that bore our family 
 name.  it  had changed owners many times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood   abandoned  for  a  long   while. 
 finally,  the natural  end  station  for 
 the  buildings that  survive:  a museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a  long  time  since  my family 
 made anything.  by  many,  we  would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there  are  two main factory  buildings, 
 domed things of several floors,  made in 
 yellow  brick. large but narrow windows, 
 reminescent    of    some     cathedral. 
 custom-made glass,  of course, large and 
 leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark  to be 
 practical.  on  the  eastern   building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one is  publicly open. there's 
 a museum, with wax figures  of  my great 
 great  great grandfather, or  something. 
 various tools  (or replicas) laid out on 
 tables, with explaining texts. a lot  of 
 glass     of     varying      thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly sneak out, and climb into  the 
 other   building.   the    contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict  for  a   long   time,  windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all  over  the   floor.  no 
 electric  lights, but i can see  by  the 
 light that shines  in  wherever the dark 
 windows    are    missing    a     pane. 
                                          
 however, the  greatest difference is the 
 higher floors: this building  has  none. 
 it is one massive hall,  stretching away 
 infinitely above  me. somewhere up there 
 is some  great  iron  latticework,  from 
 where  chains are  suspended,  and parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there  is, in  the  middle of  the great 
 hall,   a  thin  spiral  staircase  that 
 leads  up there. i sneak over there, and 
 take  a few reluctant steps.  after just 
 a  revolution, i  notice that  for  each 
 step the  building  starts  to glow, the 
 bricks  turning  a  dark red,  and  then 
 orange,  all  the piled up  debree being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i stop  ready to run  down and out,  but 
 there's  someone else  on  the staircase 
 with   me  now,   pressed  close.   he's 
 looking  like me,  short hair  and  thin 
 arms,  but with  ears from  some animal, 
 and more disturbingly,  completely  made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear holds  me  in  place  while  he 
 starts operating  levers  and  dials set 
 in the  center of the staircase. slowly, 
 it starts  spinning,  circling  upwards. 
 it's  an  elevator!  i   start  to   run 
 downwards,  but   now  the   liquid  boy 
 creature  grabs  hold of  me.  i  try to 
 shake him off, but he's too strong,  and 
 pulls   me    back   up   beside    him. 
                                          
 this time,  i  turn  angry instead. what 
 the hell? who is this guy,  acting  like 
 this? i reach  out my free arm and  slam 
 a  random  lever.  some  metal   bar  is 
 suddenly  released  between  us, hitting 
 him on the arm, forcing  my  release.  i 
 shove him off of  me,  and he falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,  a  thin  rusty   chainmail 
 curtain is  dropped  around me. but  the 
 elevator also  speeds up  significantly. 
                                          
 the  walls  are  flaring   now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue. i  close my eyes and 
 curl into  a ball. but  then,  the glass 
 boy  screams,   a  piercing  sound  that 
 forces my eyes back open. i  watch as he 
 becomes  too  liquid,  his  body pooling 
 down  in his  now massive tail, and  the 
 tip of it  suddenly breaks of in a glass 
 drop  that   falls  toward  the  factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's crawling  on  the stairs, unable to 
 keep  his body  upright. can't reach the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his  body is  turning  into  dark 
 pearls. finally,  he's lost too  much of 
 himself  and  the  scream is cut  short. 
 the   last    of    him   rains    down. 
                                          
 i  still  can't  reach  the  levers from 
 within  my cage.  looking up, i  try  to 
 make  out the  ceiling,  but  it's all a 
 whirling sea of colours. below me  glows 
 the hellfire of  the factory walls,  but 
 very  faint. i sit down,  curl back  up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a  large clunk  shakes my  entire  body, 
 and  snaps  me  back  into reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs   are  still   moving   slightly, 
 clicking in place, carrying  me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and  i  slowly   dismount  the   stairs. 
                                          
 shaking and crying,  i make  my way over 
 the factory floor,  wading  through dark 
 glass  marbles. a quick glance down, and 
 i  see there's  something  faint  inside 
 them.    embryos?   are    these   eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.